As VentureBeat’s Devindra Hardawar wrote: “[The] Secusmart acquisition offers something unique for mobile security . . . Secusmart can secure just about every aspect of mobile device communications. In particular, the company is uniquely able to secure voice communications, something that many governments and enterprises may find immensely useful.”

VentureBeat then quoted independent analyst Jack Gold. “BlackBerry is betting big on a new market opportunity that currently no other platform addresses,” he said. “This is the real goal behind the Secusmart acquisition: getting to the secure voice market where BlackBerry can lead all of its competitors. If BlackBerry can raise the awareness and get the market, particularly in enterprise and regulated industries, to recognize the need for secure voice and the amount of potential loss, then BlackBerry could win big in the market.”

“With this acquisition . . . Blackberry is signaling its intentions to apply more focus to the needs of its core loyal customers in the highly security-conscious markets, particularly in worldwide government agencies where BlackBerry still has a very large installed base. With Secusmart . . . BlackBerry can now state it has a much higher level of secured communications than any other standard smartphone platform.”

Meanwhile, IDC analysts Stacy Crook and John Jackson also had a positive reaction, writing:

“Blackberry has the ability to “re-emerge” as a robust solution for the secure provisioning and management of enterprise services to a massively diverse set of endpoints . . . [It] has a head start on the competition today in terms of owning many of the required pieces for secure end-to-end mobility.”

CBCNews quoted Independent technology analyst Carmi Levy: “It is a solid move that sets the stage quite nicely for additional, similarly-themed moves,” he said. “As a key pillar of its fast-coalescing security strategy, it serves an important purpose as both an indicator of how much the company has changed since John Chen came aboard, and where he intends to take it next.”

On ITBusinessEdge, Rob Enderle, President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group wrote: “We often forget that the voice component of a phone needs to be secured as well . . . For BlackBerry, security is its killer app. In today’s hostile world, at least for enterprise CSOs, that is a compelling advantage.”

“The Secusmart deal could be viewed as the epitome of the new BlackBerry under CEO John Chen,” wrote eWeek’s Michelle Maisto. “The brand repeatedly referred to by analysts as the industry standard in security is closing up the last wormhole to offer the absolutely most secure solution possible.”

Blue Hill Research Analyst Tony Rizzo agreed, writing, “The deal will certainly open a number of paths to generating new top line dollars . . . [and] fits in perfectly with Chen’s strategy of focusing specifically on verticals with very high security level requirements,” he said. “BlackBerry’s still [has] exclusive ‘Full Operational Capability’ (FOC) approval for a mobile platform to run on U.S. Department of Defense networks. No other mobile vendor has FOC approval.”

TopTechNews cited Laura DiDio, an analyst with industry research firm Information Technology Intelligence Corp: “[The buy] is a necessary acquisition that has immediate and long-term applications” for BlackBerry.” DiDio said the purchase positions BlackBerry as “a growing company.”

“BlackBerry has the opportunity to capture new ground. First, in the regulated industries and security sensitive environments . . . Going forward, we should think of BlackBerry as more of a security company competing with Symantec and Intel’s McAfee for the next generation of security and identity solutions . . . BlackBerry has the opportunity to use mobile to insert itself into the upcoming security markets. We should also look at them as a potential IoT platform competing against the like of Axeda and LogMeIn’s Xively.”

Reuters quoted CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber: “It is a really reassuring sign that BlackBerry is now less focused on firefighting and more focused on identifying and building for the long-term into enterprise services,” Blaber said. “This is going to be where monetization is really going to lie for BlackBerry in the future and they have to start building value. That, first and foremost, is the most reassuring sign from this acquisition.”

“What’s good enough for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, reportedly one of the most high-profile NSA hacking victims, is good enough for BlackBerry,” Re/Code’s Arik Hesseldahl said, while GigaOm’s David Meyer wrote, “The purchase will give BlackBerry a leg up in its quest to pitch to government agencies and enterprises who want secure communications.”

“BlackBerry’s acquisition of the German-based company was a logical step,” said TechVibes’ Knowlton Thomas. “The Waterloo-based smartphone maker’s acquisition of Secusmart is the latest demonstration of the company’s commitment to being the first name in enterprise mobile security.”

One thing is certain: with Secusmart adding its security credentials to the BlackBerry portfolio, the name “BlackBerry” just became that much more synonymous with “security.”

Also, enterprises that rolled out BYOD with light to no management over the past several years are starting to admit that their enthusiasm may have resulted in some problems. Take this CIO magazine article headlined, “Mobile Workers: ‘I Want My BlackBerry Back,’” from earlier this week. According to CIO, employees at a “well-known investment firm in New York City” ran into “mobile app performance issues and privacy concerns” after the firm rolled out a Bring Your Own Device policy.

“It’s a nightmare,” an IT executive speaking on condition of anonymity told CIO. The executive has tried out 4 different mobile device management (MDM) products to manage its deployment, and “in every instance, has had significant problems.”

Architectural failings made some rollouts difficult, he says. One MDM featured an impressive containerized solution but no push notifications for email. Another wouldn’t let salespeople send email from inside the Salesforce app or open a PDF with GoodReader.

“The failure of these systems has to do with little things that drive users crazy,” the IT executive says. “We’re an investment firm with a hundred-something monkeys, everyone is super smart, everyone is a prima donna, and it’s very difficult to accommodate them.”

As a result of this and other issues, unhappy employees sparked a “BYOD revolt,” with 60% of employees requesting to go back to a BlackBerry.

Grass Isn’t Always Greener

I understand human nature. The grass always does seem greener on the other side. This company and its employees had experience first-hand to understand that MDM point solutions don’t offer the breadth and capabilities that an end-to-end, cross-platform EMM solution – such as BlackBerry – can provide.

But this company was fortunate that during its experimentation with MDM vendors, it didn’t experience a major data loss or breach. That’s the risk that companies – along with their C-level executives AND Board of Directors – face when they take a chance on suppliers that lack the history and ongoing security credentials of a BlackBerry.

‘We Won’t Compromise on Security’

BlackBerry will be holding a Security Summit next Tuesday July 29 in New York City starting at 8 am Eastern Time. I will be giving the keynote speech, talking about how we are executing today to help our tens of thousands of customers deal with today’s mobile security risks. Things you’ll hear about include:

All of the R&D and patent work we are investing in today, and how that translates to our coming BES12 update to our flagship enterprise mobility management platform;

I’ll also share about how BlackBerry is already starting to plan and execute on a bigger looming security crisis – the Internet of Things. You won’t see the fruits of our execution there in any headlines in the near future, but maybe five years from now. But rest assured we are taking concrete steps today.

I’ll be joined by Forrester analyst, Tyler Shields, who will interview a panel of our leading enterprise customers, as well as a number of BlackBerry experts and executives.

Follow @BlackBerry4Biz on Twitter or the hashtag #BBSecurity to get live updates from the Security Summit. While the event is limited to journalists, and industry and financial analysts, we are also planning a live social event to get your questions answered on Tuesday immediately following our event.

]]>http://blogs.blackberry.com/2014/07/security-summit/feed/0John Chenjchenbb491893013The Great Debate: Mobile vs. Console Gaminghttp://blogs.blackberry.com/2013/09/the-great-debate-mobile-vs-console-gaming/
http://blogs.blackberry.com/2013/09/the-great-debate-mobile-vs-console-gaming/#commentsMon, 09 Sep 2013 11:50:14 +0000http://blogs.blackberry.com/?p=17665/ Read More]]>Thanks to advances in mobile technology, using a gaming console to get your game on may soon be a thing of the past. Let’s face it, you can play almost any console game on a mobile device – I can even play Oregon Trail on my BlackBerry Q10. But the question on everyone’s minds: is the experience better? The brains behind Mobile Nations’ Talk Mobile 2013 are ready to bring this great debate to the people. Their 2013 infographic entitled “Mobile Gaming Onward and Upward: Mobile vs. Consoles” aims to bring this debate to light by presenting evidence from mobile and console gaming experts as well as influencers and fans so the people can decide which is king. Take a look at their infographic below and let me know in the comments which you prefer – gaming on your mobile device or a gaming console?

Gamers of the World, Unite!

]]>http://blogs.blackberry.com/2013/09/the-great-debate-mobile-vs-console-gaming/feed/0donnyhalliwellTalk Mobile_InfographicVote for BlackBerry Panels at SXSW 2014: All About Mobile Y’allhttp://blogs.blackberry.com/2013/08/vote-for-blackberry-panels-at-sxsw-2014/
http://blogs.blackberry.com/2013/08/vote-for-blackberry-panels-at-sxsw-2014/#commentsMon, 26 Aug 2013 19:11:06 +0000http://blogs.blackberry.com/?p=17600/ Read More]]> Below is a guest post by Steph F. from the Inside BlackBerry for Business blog –DH

South by Southwest, better known as SXSW, is a set of film, interactive, and music festivals and conferences that take place every spring in Austin, Texas, bringing together celebrities, industry influencers, executives, and consumers. SXSW Interactive is centered on emerging technology, a focus which has earned the festival a reputation as a breeding ground for new ideas and creative technologies.

This year, BlackBerry has put forward a number of thought-leadership ideas to discuss at SXSW because we want to share, engage and foster new ideas in the ever-evolving mobile space.

“BYOD Pros & Cons: Keeping Mobile Business Secure”

At SXSW 2014, we hope to dive deeper into BYOD, as it is one of the topics we hear about most often from our customers. In this session, attendees will debate the pros and cons of BYOD, formal phone programs and corporately-owned, and personally-enabled (COPE) programs. BlackBerry executive, Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President, Global Security Group has partnered with Sheila Jordan, Senior Vice President, Communication and Collaboration IT to lead attendees in a discussion of BYOD risks, efficiency, security, and cost savings to offer business owners the information needed to make educated decisions about their mobile phone strategy.

Mobile computing is an essential component of the business world and is quickly changing the way we balance our professional and personal lives. Doing business remotely is where the future is headed. At BlackBerry, we’ve focused on creating mobile technology that enables us to carry sensitive personal and business data with us everywhere we go. People are already inseparable from their devices: 80 percent of the world’s population has a mobile phone, and 84 percent admit they couldn’t go a single day without it. In fact, one in four people check their phone every half hour; one in five do so every 10 minutes. In just the last few years, smartphones have changed our lives in ways that were barely imagined a decade ago.

A “bring-your-own-device” (BYOD) environment in the workplace is inevitable. By making our platform compatible with other devices, we are acting as a partner to many of our global enterprise customers looking to allow different devices in the workplace. BlackBerry embraces BYOD, allowing clients to securely manage all BlackBerry, iOS, and Android smartphones and tablets, including the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

Interested in learning more about the variety of BlackBerry thought-leadership discussions at SXSW? Below are all of our submissions:

“Can You Feel Me Now?” – Consumers are now demanding the ability to share almost every aspect of their mobile lives on the go. Companies are purposely developing mobile experiences to spark a range of behaviors that help us live happier lives. Panelists from BlackBerry, KAYAK, and The Weather Channel will highlight how they view the intersection of psychology and technology and how that insight drives new innovations in their mobile business.

“The Future of Mobility” – The emergence and evolution of mobile technology over the past 10 years has completely evolved the ways in which we communicate. During this panel, attendees will hear from key executives from BlackBerry, Cisco, and KAYAK who are making waves in the digital age, to discuss what the future of mobile looks like and predictions of the next big trend in the mobile ecosystem that will change and affect consumer behavior.

“Social Relationship Management and Global Brands” – As corporate social media management matures, brands are taking their social media efforts to a new level while experimenting with different structures, processes, and strategies. The fast pace and new threats posed by social media have created challenges when it comes to managing the madness. This has led to tug-of-wars across product teams, departments, regions and partners such as agencies. Empowered consumers, new technology, C-suite pressure, the proliferation of channels, and global/local sensitivities are adding to the complexity–forcing the enterprise ecosystem to adapt. It’s time for brands to have a social relationship roadmap. The panel will share insights from first-hand experience at brands like Blackberry, Dell, Citi, and Samsung.

Now that you’ve heard all about our proposed panels, we need you to share the love and vote until Friday, September 6. Winning panels are announced on Monday, October 14 and featured at SXSW March 8-12, 2014 in Austin, Texas.

Don’t forget to also click the thumbs up icon in the upper left-hand corner, where it says “Cast Your Vote.” Public voting accounts for 30 percent of the decision-making process, so make sure you vote for the panels you want to hear from!

After “thumbs up’ing”, tweet us (@BlackBerry) or a leave a comment below telling us what questions you’d ask if the panels are accepted. Just think: your tweet, comment, or question could generate the next big mobile discussion or idea!

We recently took a look at U.S. consumer mobility trends of smartphone usage. Today I’d like to switch gears to focus on mobility trends with regard to tablet usage. Data shows that people use tablets for games, as a social tool, as e-readers, or a combination of all three. So how does your tablet usage compare?

Let’s dive in to some fun tablet stats to see how your tablet habit compares with that of your friends and neighbors:

25 percent of smartphone owners also use a tablet.

The average tablet user spends 90 minutes on their tablet every day.

Over 60 percent of tablet owners use their tablet for at least 2 hours per day, and 11 percent say they use their tablet “constantly.”

80 percent of tablet users say that tablets have improved their work/life balance.

60 percent of tablet owners use their device to read e-books. With larger screens than smartphones and a nearly unlimited supply of books, the ability to curl up with a good (electronic) book is becoming increasingly popular on tablets.

34 percent of tablet owners use their tablets for shopping during the weekends. 46 percent of those said they would turn to a competitor’s website instead if they had a poor tablet shopping experience.

35 percent of tablet owners say they have used them in the bathroom. Now that’s just gross.

If you have a tablet habit, I’d like to hear your thoughts about why you own a tablet and, if so, how and why you use it. Feel free to share, comment, and submit questions in the comment section below.

It’s no secret that more and more people use their smartphones as an extension of their hands—look around any public place and it won’t be long before you see someone with their head down, focusing on their BlackBerry® smartphone. Inbound Marketing Blog Hubspot® estimates that in the United States alone, smartphone users will number around 107 million in 2012 – roughly one-third of the population. And Reuters claims that global smartphone sales will top 1 billion units in 2014.

So, how are people using their smartphones? We curated research from industry sources and rounded up five reasons why people are grabbing their smartphones at home and at work:

Surfing the Web: For those of you surfing the digital cosmos via the BlackBerry Browser, you’re not alone. Hubspot estimates that the number of mobile internet users will reach 113.9 million in 2012.

SMS Text/BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) Messaging:Portio Research found that about 8 trillion SMS messages were sent in 2011, and they predict that number to grow to nearly 10 trillion by the end of 2012.

Socializing: A recent ComScore survey found that 70 percent of mobile users posted a status update to Twitter®, Facebook®, LinkedIn® or another social network via their smartphone in 2011.

Email: Another ComScore report states that 90 million Americans use their smartphone to access email, with 64 percent of those users accessing their email almost every day.

Gaming: Reports form several sources found that in 2011, about 1 in 3 smartphone users played games on their devices (that’s a lot of Angry Birds).

How many of these five examples describe your mobile life? I’m pretty much using my BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 smartphone for all five of them – how about you?

Last spring, we asked for your thoughts and feedback – the good, the bad and the ugly – on your overall user experience with BlackBerry® Beta Zone. Now, based on more than 3,000 responses from the BlackBerry Beta Zone community, we’ve made changes based on what you asked for!

Some quick background: BlackBerry Beta Zone gives users a unique opportunity to get the newest BlackBerry software and applications before they’re ready to be released to the general public. Once users test out the software, they have the opportunity to offer feedback and suggestions directly to us about how to improve the experience for all users.

Now that you’re caught up on what BlackBerry Beta Zone is, let’s go through the new changes and improvements:

A more user friendly interface

We’ve redesigned the site from top to bottom. It’s more engaging to use, has more interactive elements, and offers a more intuitive user experience to make sure you can find what you’re looking for quickly and easily.

A clearer division between Business and Consumer beta programs

We’ve also now separated BlackBerry Beta Zone into two distinct sites: BlackBerry Beta Zone and BlackBerry Beta Zone for Business. BlackBerry Beta Zone for Business now has its own dedicated URL so users can more easily access enterprise programs, while consumers only see content and programs that are of interest to them.

More opportunities to get involved

We know BlackBerry Beta Zone members have a lot to say, so we’ve added a blog-style newsfeed to provide the latest site news and allow you to comment and share in the conversation. We’ll also be posting more frequent polls and surveys, ensuring that there are more opportunities than ever to get your feedback.

Improved mobile experience

BlackBerry beta testers are always on the move, so we’ve optimized our mobile site to make it easier to provide your feedback on the go. We’ve revised the mobile layout, simplified the download process, and added access to a number of new features – all to improve your mobile beta testing experience.

And that’s just what we’ve got launching today! We’re always looking for your feedback on how we can continue to improve your BlackBerry Beta Zone experience – so make sure to log in, check out the new site, and tell us what you think!

The BlackBerry® Mini Keyboard with convertible case is here! This is an accessory that can add a huge amount of value to your work and productivity. By leveraging the keyboard along with the convertible case, you get the additional screen space (rather than using the on-screen keyboard), and a stylish case that doubles as a stand for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. Check out the video below for an in-depth demo of the BlackBerry Mini Keyboard as well as multiple use cases via the Citrix® Receiver for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

]]>http://blogs.blackberry.com/2012/03/powerful-mobile-computing-on-the-go-meet-the-blackberry-mini-keyboard-for-the-blackberry-playbook/feed/0lukereim1bluetooth_keyboardeBay 2.0 for BlackBerry smartphones is redesigned to make you a better buyer, seller and winnerhttp://blogs.blackberry.com/2011/12/ebay-for-blackberry/
http://blogs.blackberry.com/2011/12/ebay-for-blackberry/#commentsFri, 02 Dec 2011 14:58:50 +0000http://blogs.blackberry.com/?p=11858]]>

We’re happy to announce that eBay® 2.0 for BlackBerry® smartphones is now available. With the eBay 2.0 application for BlackBerry smartphones, you can search, watch, and bid – and now the app is designed so that you can share and publish a listing (sell) right from your BlackBerry smartphone. (As a soon-to-be buyer of holiday gifts for friends and family, I’d like to confirm that it’s an invaluable shopping tool!) But there are many more enhancements, too, so we asked product manager Ryan P. to share the highlights of the new and improved eBay 2.0 application for BlackBerry smartphones. Take it away, Ryan! – Ed.

First up, we’ve revamped the user interface and it is designed so that it can allow for easier navigation and quicker access to the features you use most. You’ll also find that the new advanced search options allow you to refine your search to help you find what you’re looking for. You can modify your search to indicate whether you’re looking for new or used items, which country eBay sites you’d like to reach, price range, and more! We’ve also added BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) integration, giving you the opportunity to post an item you’ve won as a personal message, or share a listing with your BBM contacts and chat about the item before purchasing it. You can even invite your BBM contacts to download the application if they don’t already have it.

Of course you’ll still find all of the buying features available from the first version, including items you’re bidding on, watching, won and lost, plus access to your saved searches and favorite sellers. The messaging system has also been enhanced to support more message types – including rich HTML messages – and you’ll still receive notifications about items you’re bidding on.

As mentioned earlier, you can now use the eBay 2.0 application for BlackBerry smartphones to not only buy items but also sell them. Selling from just about anywhere using your BlackBerry smartphone is designed to be easy — you can use the integrated camera on your device to publish a new listing to one of the largest online trading communities. Already have a picture ready? Just select it from your photo library and rotate it if necessary, then upload it to your listing. Just like using your desktop browser, you can upload up to 12 images to your listing, and you have a full range of payment and shipping options to choose from.

In addition to being able to post new listings, as a seller you’ll be able to keep on top of all of your active and scheduled listings as well as your listing history of sold and unsold items.

The BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet browser is far more than a simple application for viewing web pages. It has been carefully designed to provide an enhanced tablet experience, complete with options for customizing the browsing experience, private browsing, bookmarks management, HTML 5.0, Adobe® Flash® and JavaScript® capabilities, location-aware features, and so much more. Consider this powerful tool to be a window into not only viewing and interacting with a variety of web sites, but to also access powerful enterprise web applications.

There are a number of complete and secure web app solutions that you and your business can take advantage of – apps that are designed to offer new ways to collaborate in real time. Access to your internal enterprise network may also be possible from your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet through supported VPN suppliers.

Research In Motion® (RIM®) has a large number of enterprise software partners in the mobile industry, and we are constantly working with them to deliver apps and access to web-based hosted solutions optimized for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. This means that employees will be able to use existing tools while on the go.

I’m sure at this point you’re looking for examples. Well, here are seven of our favorite enterprise apps that are BlackBerry PlayBook tablet browser-ready!

Have you ever run into a technical support issue while you’re out and about? Or perhaps you recently posted to the BlackBerry® Support Community Forums already and are waiting to receive a reply from the community? Well, we’ve got an awesome little-known secret to let you in on: The BlackBerry Support Community Forums are fully optimized to be viewed right on your BlackBerry smartphone!

The site offers much of the functionality available via your desktop browser, but displays in a clear, concise format to accommodate mobile browsers. Reading and responding to posts is as easy as it is on your computer!